Ohio's big city mayors join forces to push urban agenda at the Statehouse

Friday

Nov 18, 2016 at 12:01 AMNov 18, 2016 at 9:37 PM

Mayors of Ohio's largest cities are banding together for the first time to bring a more unified voice to the Statehouse and find ways to learn from one another. Representing the state's 30 biggest cities, including Columbus, Dublin and Grove City, the new Ohio Mayor's Alliance wants to focus on the importance of urban centers, where 84 percent of Ohio jobs originate.

Jim Siegel, The Columbus Dispatch

Mayors of Ohio’s largest cities are banding together for the first time to bring a more unified voice to the Statehouse and find ways to learn from one another.

Representing the state’s 30 biggest cities, including Columbus, Dublin and Grove City, the new Ohio Mayor’s Alliance wants to focus on the importance of urban centers, where 84 percent of Ohio jobs originate.

“More than anything else, we want to make sure people understand that cities are net donors to the state income tax coffers by a huge margin,” said Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley. “Candidly, we think there’s been some rhetoric over the years that views cities as the opposite, as dependent. We are the economic drivers of the state.”

The bipartisan coalition of 20 Democrats and 10 Republicans will be a more focused subset of the cities and villages currently represented by the Ohio Municipal League.

“While our legislative partners have been well intended, I’m not sure they truly understood how their decisions to try to make things better economically actually did impact Ohio’s urban areas,” Findlay Mayor Lydia Mihalik said of lawmakers.

Cranley, Milhalik and Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley made the rounds on Capitol Square this week, introducing the new alliance to legislative leaders, Gov. John Kasich’s office and others. For years, most GOP legislative leaders have hailed from rural areas of the state.

“One of the best things about Ohio is the diversity of cities. We want to make sure that’s leveraged to the fullest potential for our state,” Whaley said. “I think the thing that makes this most valuable is it’s the mayors, and only the mayors, at the table.”

The Alliance wants to push state candidates in the 2020 election to develop urban agendas. There also is concern that mayors have not had enough voice in state budget debates, Whaley said. “We want to have a real conversation, because this is where the economic growth is.”

Grove City Mayor Richard "Ike" Stage said the city lost about $700,000 a year when lawmakers abolished the estate tax and is down another $400,000 a year from local government fund cuts.

"We also have a definite concern about home rule, which is almost non-existent," he said, pointing to legislative action to preempt his city's puppy purchasing law, alter how it collects income taxes and potentially mess up its tax increment financing (TIF) districts. "When things start happening to us that impact our citizens, which we have very little say in, we think that's crossed the line."

Mayors are concerned about the opioid crisis and the loss of state local government funding. They also will push for more infrastructure funding, as cities deal with aging roads, bridges, and wastewater treatment facilities.

Mihalik said she wants a state focus on helping Ohio manufacturers stay competitive.

“What policies can we affect in JobsOhio that are centered more around job retention and modernization of manufacturing, as opposed to just being excited about job creation,” she said.

Home rule and local control also will be major issues, Cranley said, pointing to issues that Mayor Stage also highlighted.

“Every year it feels like there is a new assault on cities by a legislature that, I think, needs to understand we’re the golden goose that produces the tax revenue,” he said. “They should stop attacking cities and should start working with us.”

Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther also said he looks forward to working with the Alliance. “Columbus is in a time of great prosperity, due in large part to both public and private partnerships we have formed.”

jsiegel@dispatch.com

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